Secular Citizen Vol.23 No.38 dated 22nd September 2014

22 September 2014

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Design a Church for the Poor (Contd.. from p. 1) First, let us consider what a church for the poor is not: it is not a church for ascetic monks, who take a vow of poverty, spend their days in prayer and prefer the simple beauty of the cloister to the richness and chaos of the world. On the contrary, a church for the poor should be seen as a place for full-blooded laypeople who need to be drawn into the building through material and tactile means. It is a respite from the world which offers a glimpse of the heavenly Jerusalem to those living in Nineveh.

A church for the poor does not have paintings of abstract or ugly figures but is full of beautiful images of holy men and women who overcame their sinfulness to draw close to God. Even more important, a church for the poor shows them their mother who comforts and their God who forgives. A church for the poor is full of signs, symbols and sacraments: outward signs of inward grace.

It cannot be a place where the sacrament of salvation is hidden away, for it should be raised up like Christ on the cross offering his body’s death for our body’s healing.

A house for the poor should not be a modernist structure inspired by the machine, for the poor are surrounded and even enslaved by the machine and the technological. It is rather a building inspired by the human body, the new Adam, and the richness of His creation. For those whose lives may touch on angst and suffering they do not need a contorted building exhibiting disharmony and atonality. Instead they need an architecture of healing, which through proportions, materials and spiritual light bring joy to the heart. A church which is welcoming to those in the state of poverty should not be a theatre church where the visitor is forced to be on stage. Their dignity is respected by allowing them to sit where they want, even if that means in the back or hidden away in a side chapel. The lighting cannot be so bright that one’s deficiencies are revealed to others, but there is a place for prayerful shadow.

A church for the poor is not hidden away in the suburbs or on a highway where it may never be seen and is difficult to get to. It should be placed where the poor are – near the poor villages or the destitute city neighborhoods and in

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prominent places like downtowns or city parks where the poor sometimes travel. A church for the poor does not close its school just because it is under-enrolled or in financial difficulty. Caritas understands that service to those in need is not optional, nor is it meant to be cheap and easy. In the same way, dioceses should seek creative ways for inner city parishes to remain open even when finances would argue otherwise. One thinks of St. Mary of the Angels and its school located in a tough Chicago neighborhood reopened by Cardinal George and Franciscan friar Bob Lombardo after being closed for fifteen years.

A church for the poor should not look impoverished. It is one of the few public buildings that those without status or money should be welcome to enter. The poor may not often visit the art museum, the symphony hall, or the stately hotel. However, a worthy church can give the poor the same experience of art, fine music, and nobility that the rich and middle class are happy to pay for. And in this way the Church acknowledges that high culture should be even for the those who have nothing.

A church for the poor is not only for the poor, it is for all, both rich and poor, proud and humble. Are there iconographical elements which might draw the needy and inspire others to give? Perhaps images of poverty in the lives of holy saints such as Francis, Dominic, Mother Theresa and many others. Along with these, a church for the poor should have murals, stained glass and side altars portraying the centrality of poverty in the life of Christ. The king is born in a stable, and his family must emigrate to a foreign land to survive. His compassion for the poor, the mother, the widow, the leper and his raising of the dead.

His life as a mendicant reliant on the generosity of others for food and lodging (from both priests and tax collectors), his many parables which, like the widow’s mite or the Prodigal Son, speak powerfully to all those in hunger and poverty. But can the poor or the uneducated understand these images or appreciate beauty? When the poor see beauty they see God. Why? Because “Beauty” is God’s middle name.

Why should we design a church for the poor? Because no other building can point the poor to Christ, in the way that a church which embraces them can.

—Duncan G. Stroik (aleteia)

22 September 2014

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Contents

pg. 1 - Design a Church for the Poor pg. 3 - It's No Longer Wise ... pg. 5 - A Message from the Mount pg. 6 - Reader's Views pg. 7 - Sixty Years in The Service of Our Lady of the Mount pg 8 - Come September! pg 9 - Aging And Competition pg 12 - Views on News pg 13 - Bl. Vaz May be Canonized... pg 14 - Iraq Christian: 'ISIS terrorist held a sword to my throat but I refused to convert' pg 15 - Seven Petitions ... pg 16 - The Role of Godparents pg 17 - Is Your Spouse Sad? pg 19 - Inspiration! pg 20 - Matrimonials

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22 September 2014

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It's No Longer Wise To Look Upon Other Gods As ‘Strangers'

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by Christopher Joseph

n a country like India, whose politics and society espouse the principles of secularism and equality, people changing their religion should not be a cause of fear and violence. They should also not be a matter of discussion in parliament and the media.

In a country where half the world's illiterate live, where half its people have no toilets, where 1,360 people die of tuberculosis each day and where every minute one person commits suicide, one would expect the media and politicians to concentrate on battling poverty, illiteracy and improving health rather than on discouraging conversions.

The question is, why are Indians obsessed with faith, religion and conversions rather than with their own emaciated bodies, lack of food, sick relatives and the dirty water they drink?

In the past few months, the Indian media has been filled with stories of forced conversions of Hindus to Islam, Christians to Hinduism, and of young Muslims seducing Hindu women into marriage in order to convert them to swell Islamic numbers in the country.

There were editorials, opinion pieces and television discussions on the issue, with minority leaders expressing fears that Hindu hardliners are gaining in strength following Prime Minister Narendra Modi's election victory three months ago.

Religion is -- and always has been -- a politically linked phenomenon across the globe. Ever since the commandment “You shall have no strange gods before me” was etched on a tablet, politicians have used it to keep the rank and file together.

The primary struggle was to keep strange gods out of communities.

People who worshipped "strange gods" were different. They also ate strange food and spoke strange languages. The hatred toward people with strange gods was the cumulative end result of a community's disapproval and ridicule.

It was common and natural to disrespect the gods of others. Images of deities were ridiculed and attacked with the pure political goal of destroying other people’s faith in their gods, and consolidating their own community’s power.

(Contd.. on p. 4)

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(Contd.. from p. 3) But the world is always changing.

Exploration and migration saw people of different faiths discover new lands where more strange gods ruled the roost.

In South Asia, the struggle to overcome strange gods and keep others at bay began when Turkic Muslims crossed the Indus River and plundered Hindu temples in the thirteenth century. Muslim attempts to subjugate a people worshipping other gods continued for 320 years, spanning five dynasties and numerous bloody wars.

Local communities did their best to resist aggressors seeking to expand their kingdoms. Often haplessly, they attempted to protect their cows, their mud gods, their women and children.

Resisting conversion became an attempt to protect their communities and the dignity of their women and children.

By the fifteenth century an individual who converted was considered a traitor by his community and therefore deserved to die.

By that time, Vasco da Gama had found India. The Portuguese came, the Dutch came and the British came. Their “East India” companies were welcomed. But their attempts to convert people were resisted.

The majority of those who accepted the "foreign" god of the company owners were people on the fringes of Indian society, those who were untouchable, cast out of their communities. They had nothing to protect them and their faith, deaths or alienation meant nothing to mainstream Indians.

Thanksgiving

Thanks to the Holy Spirit for the favours granted — M. Rodrigues

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The world kept on changing. Colonialism gave way to independence and democracy. India became a nation of Hindus, Muslims and Christians and political parties began to patronize religious communities calling them "our people".

Christians, however, became largely political orphans simply because they lacked enough numbers to be a force to be reckoned with in elections.

In their attempts to create a heady mix of politics and religion, politicians covertly and overtly played up stories about "strange" gods of people of rival religions, and propagated fairytales telling how the ancestors of these people desecrated images of their gods, raped mothers and sisters and plundered their own communities.

The message of hate was simple: given a chance, they will again attack us, dominate, displace and de-value us. Hence, hate them and keep them away.

In this climate of hate, Christians became a community which betrays, who worship a "foreign" god, who supported colonial subjugators and who continue to have leaders who reside outside the country. They are a community that cannot be trusted; that should be hated.

Shrewd politicians blame colonialism and invasion as the root cause of poverty, illiteracy and ill health in India. Casting out people with "strange gods" is projected as the only lasting solution to all the ills of a nation.

Many digest this kind of political talk and intimidation without question.

Thanksgiving

Thanks to the Holy Spirit for the favours granted — R. Rodrigues

The majority of Indians -- especially the some 700 million who live in villages - have no way of questioning rhetoric, influencing decisions, or even making their voices heard.

India’s media, especially the English language part, has no interest in village issues unless stories make its English-speaking audience laugh or cry. The main interest is pandering to the economic and political interests of its city audience.

Fear of faith is a politically cultivated evergreen, fertilized by poverty, illiteracy and engineered social disabilities. It occasionally blossoms into bloody violence, but at all times adds spice to political life.

India's poverty and social divisions are a political necessity, and religion has become a tool to sustain it.

Religious leaders — Hindus, Christians and Muslims et all — if they wish to end this religious exploitation should stand up and assert, together and individually, that there are no strange gods in their land. They should help their people appreciate and respect the gods of their neighbors.

They should work for a new commandment: “We shall have no strange gods…all gods are familiar to us.”

Christopher Joseph is a ucanews correspondent based in New Delhi.

Source: ucanews

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22 September 2014

A Message from the Mount

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few days prior to the feast of the Nativity of Mother Mary, exten sively celebrated at the basilica on the mount in Bandra, a public road used by the devotees from the mount was lost in the sleaze of corruption somewhere in the mansions of the mighty!

This public road known as the cement road had evolved from a narrow path down the hillside used by the original inhabitants of this land such as the Agris and the Kolis for centuries.

Gradually, as the festival on the Mount gained popularity, the same road was successfully used to channelize the massive size of devotees, without a single incident of mishap and violence.

And suddenly it has been sold to the highest bidder, denying the devotees free and ample access to their Mother’s shrine on the Mount of miracles!

Peaceful protests yielded nothing more than contradictory statements, manifest in a frantic rush of all concerned authorities to close ranks against the citizens in order to ‘protect’ their idol. This was expected in the light of the steady degeneration of late, of the political genre in the country. Gone are the days of stalwarts whose hearts beat for this country…. …After all didn’t George Bernard Shaw say that politics is the last refuge of scoundrels?

It is most disturbing that a new pattern is emerging and threatens to engulf our nation. Might has become right. There are two sets of laws being implemented by the corrupt in governance. The laws used to judge the high and mighty are mere efforts to fool the public and silence the outcry. Successive governments have done precious little to address the grievances of the ordinary citizens- inflation is still high, bringing back black money hoarded abroad is still empty talk, bribing is in the open, terrorism is still rampant and communal forces have emerged from their holes to let loose a reign of terror at the slightest pretext. With such heavy demand on their thin pockets and the political class working overtime to ap-

22 September 2014

pease the rich, the poor in India are getting poorer and the rich are becoming super rich…..Remember the Rs. 32 poverty line….they are not counted as poor but they die of starvation and disease….

We need to stand up now and be counted. Elections to the Maharashtra State Assembly are fast approaching, giving us an opportunity to make an enlightened choice while voting for our representative. Cast our votes wisely, not impulsively. For centuries the Christian community in India has co-existed amicably, building schools, hospitals, orphanages, old-age homes etc. to serve the needy irrespective of caste, creed and community. Despite being a miniscule 2.2% of the country’s population, our efforts at social work are footprints left in the sands of time. But now we need to emerge from our comfort zone and bond into a force to reckon with! Organisations such as the BCS, CROSS, AICU etc. will help spread awareness to arm the citizens with a discerning power. The brazen violation of law at the foot of Mount Mary needs to be placed under the scanner for careful scrutiny. Where is the law of the land if a road meant for public use can be handed over to a wealthy millionaire celebrity on a silver platter? What was the price?

This brings us to the subject of the price the citizens of India pay for their indifference and lack of awareness of their political duties, especially of elect-

ing men and women of integrity, with a proven track record of honest, sincere work. If we elect a government to BY VERA ALVARES protect the rights of the millions of ordinary citizens, to work for their welfare and to address their grievances, the need to fight against such grave injustice, as on the Mount will not arise. If none of the elected representatives from this Constituency worked to right the wrong done at the cement road, it means we either made a wrong choice or we are of no consequence to them!

In the Constitution, India is defined as a Democracy, ‘the government of the people, by the people and for the people’! The present corrupt system permits criminals and violators of law with money and muscle power to get elected. How can law breakers become law makers? The humility of folded hands seen at election time is replaced by an arrogance that rejects the same people once victory is achieved. Can we be instruments of a change that will blow these cobwebs away?

We, as Minorities (we did not choose to be labelled thus) need to introspect to create an awareness of the present developments in our own backyard. At election time it is customary for the politicians to issue public proclamations of their achievements.

The tall claims usually carry a hidden fine print of their misdemeanours which they sweep under the carpet. To make a learned choice at election time one needs to go through the fine print and separate the chaff from the grain. Let our devotion to the heavenly Mother enlighten our minds and embolden our spirits at this crucial hour.

They say that people get the government they deserve. Does this apply to me, to you and you? Did we contribute to this degeneration in any way by failing to stand up for Mother India?

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the guise of inculturation.

Organ Donation Following heavy 'closing down' rush, Orlem church cemetery finally pulled down its shutters, for decomposition.

However, it will be business as usual ( for the undertaker) who will conduct burials for owners of family graves.

Thousands of parishioners will feel discriminated against as they will have to bury their dead elsewhere.

This,however should not be an issue as several parishes do not have cemeteries. The good news is that the cemetery will re-open after six months for fresh arrivals.

The church should not lose this opportunity of exploring alternative methods of disposing of the dead, such as cremation. More importantly, the focus can now shift to organ donation.

There are a large number of organisations and units in the church that are doing commendable work in various social and charitable fields.

Perhaps the church may add one more to the list of organisations :A full-fledged 'organ donation unit'. The generosity of the parishioners is proverbial and hopefully the organ donation unit may witness a lot of donations and turn out to be a path-breaking movement worthy of replication by other parishes. The focus will then shift from 'where to bury the dead' to 'how to keep alive the dead' in a living body.

The most commonly donated organ is the eye. In India there are about 12 million blind persons. Of them 1.2 million can regain sight by cornea transplant . Unfortunately only a paltry few thousands receive corneas due to lack of donors.

Sri Lanka ,on the other hand, a small country of 20 million has a surplus of corneas and donates their surplus world wide. Most of Sri Lanka's surplus goes to Pakistan. Obviously, religion plays an important role in organ donation. Islam requires that the body be buried intact, hence the paucity of eye donations in Pakistan. The reason for Sri Lanka's surplus is that Buddhism, the predominant religion, strongly advocates organ donation.

Buddhists monks organise organ donation campaigns outside temples.The

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Catholic church too can play a proactive role in organ donations. One Sunday in the year may be designated as Eye Donation Sunday.

—Prof Robert Castellino

Catastrophic ‘C’s Thanks for publishing my 19’C’s titled “Choose Correct ‘C’s for Country” The Secular Citizen, Sep 8th, 2014.

Now let me communicate the 19 Catastrophic ‘C’s that can cast the country and our culture into confusion and chaos!

1) Casteism 2) Communalism 3) Corruption 4) Consumerism 5) Contraception 6) Contamination 7) Communism 8) Crime 9) Calamity 10) Curse 11) Cancer 12) Cigarettes 13) Combat 14) Conflict 15) Confrontation 16) Carelessness 17) Conspiracy 18) Counterfeit 19) Cynicism A constructive criticism and correction of the above controversial and condemnable 19 ‘C’s can create a conducive and clean condition for common man and city. “Let us ‘cleanse’ ourselves from every defilement of body and spirit, making holiness perfect in the fear of God” (2 Corinthians 7:1) —Dr Trevor Colaso, Bandra

Idol worship in

The Inculturation movement in Goa has now received a further shot in the arm with a section of Pillar fathers making a strong pitch for the introduction of Indian classical music alongside Gregorian chant and western music in our church services. While there is nothing wrong with this , what is objectionable is the recent move by these priests to participate with their group of parish singers, singing bhajans in worship of a Ganesh idol at pujas and Ganpathi immersion processions, in the hope of promoting communal harmony. Such a mistaken sense of achieving communal harmony arises out of the inability to distinguish between singing bhajans in church worship and bhajans before a Hindu idol.

Such idol worship as we know is explicitly proscribed in God’s very first commandment ‘I am thy Lord and God. Thou shall not have strange gods before me”. Unforunately, the inculturation movement in the church has resulted in a deliberate attempt by a certain section of diehards to Hinduise Christian rituals and liturgy to the extent that it is difficult at times to differentiate between a Eucharistic celebration and a Hindu puja. If communal harmony is to be achieved, then inter-religious dialogue is the ‘sine qua non’ to achieve this goal---certainly not by worshiping the deities of other religions.

—A. F. Nazareth, Alto porvorim.

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22 September 2014

Sixty Years In The Service Of Our Lady Of The Mount

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ur Lady of the Mount is God’s special gift to Bandra, and the people of the area feel safe and secure under her protection. Occupying the summit of the southern of Bandar’s two hills, Our Lady at the Mount has attracted reverence and filial devotion of people of various faiths not only of Bandra but from far and wide, indeed even beyond our shores.

From this landmark has emerged an exemplary devotion linked to the nativity of Our Lady on September 8th, which in local parlance is the Bandra Feast. Come September and the activity picks up for this annual celebration, commencing with the introductory Novena in preparation of the Feast of the Nativity, celebrated at the Mount on the Sunday following September 8th .

This devotion to Mary, Mother of God, started at the Bandra hill four centuries ago and this year 2014, marks 110 years of the present edifice. Millions of pilgrims and local devotees have come to the Mount to pay homage to Our Lady of the Mount over the past century and more, and the numbers keep increasing every year requiring keen vigilance and proper guidance to ensure smooth running of the Eucharistic services.

This elegant and majestic Shrine rose from the simple chapel on the hill, and is today remarkable for its architectural beauty. It was blessed and opened for public worship toward the end of 1904. The title of ‘Minor Basilica’ was conferred on Mount Mary by the Pope Pius XII, as a memorial to the National Marion Congress held in Bombay in 1954.

By virtues of its significance as a Shrine, it has to be looked after and strict vigilance is necessary particularly in these troubled times. During the Novena, the Feast day and the Octave week, monitoring of the crowds is in the hands of a committee ably led by the now 60-year experienced Vivian Pereira.

In earlier times, the mass was celebrated alternatively in the church and at the Fatima Oratory. But for those who

22 September 2014

by Irwin Almeida come to venerate Our Lady there was a separate queue that went into the church. How to keep the queues moving and when to merge the people who had finished Mass and now wanted to make offerings, called for a cool head with a tactful approach. This practice was being followed till 1978.

In the meanwhile, Vivian Pereira of Ranwar was brought on the scene by his late father, Dick Pereira, who was in charge of maintaining law and order during the Bandra Feast. Dick was ably assisted by late Melville Mendes, whose organizational skills were know and widely used in events such as the Eucharistic Congress held in Bombay, and Papal visits to the City. Under the guidance of these renowned veterans, Vivian had to start at the bottom with duties such as taking collection, ushering devotees and the likes. He was told arrogance and bossiness had no place here, and he picked up fast and firmly.

With the increasing number of devotees flocking to the Shrine, and more and more people keen to reach the Sanctuary to make their petition and offerings, it was decided to have Eucharistic celebrating during the Novena and right through the Octave, under a specially built Shamiana to the north side of the church.

The erection of the Shamiana needed some proper consideration and it was not just for protection against the rains, but it also had to cope with varying wind pressure without obstructing the flow of fresh air. So, a well experienced Selby Rosario was requested to plan the same and then guide the contractor in its execution.

This arrangement proved successful in that it facilated the smooth and constant flow of pilgrims to reach the altar. Now, the devotees enter the Sanctuary by a side door, and leave by another side door, and those attending the Mass are neither disturbed nor distracted. This of course requires tactful

crowd management and control with some public relation acumen like keeping a cool head with a big smile even in the face of much annoyance and transgression. This is where Vivian Pereira plays a key role developed these skills over 60 years under the guidance of his gurus, his dad Dick Pereira and Melville Mendes of Waroda Road.

After Dick’s demise in1978, the then rector of Mount, Bishop Longinus Pereira requested Melville to take charge with Vivian as his able stand-in. then on Melville passing away in 1998, Fr.Nereus Rodrigues, the rector of the Basilica, put the mantle on Vivian’s shoulders, establishing him as the head of the Organizing Committee. Vivian had mastered the skills of crowd management and control, and now they were put to test in facing difficult and often adverse circumstances.

Over these years Vivian has emerged as a greater success through several trying circumstances each posing a different challenge. One he recalls is what happened on the last Sunday of the Feast in the year 2011. As it was a bright and sunny day devotees ventured out in unimaginable number, all anxious to visit the Shrine for the morning services. Then by the evening crowds became unmanageable in their desire to reach the Mount and down to the fair. It became impossible to control, so to avert a stampede and possible loss of lives, the police decided to stop the crowds from surging towards the Mount, for about two hours. Vivian was left with no option but to fall in line with this decision as it would help in handling the crowd in the church premises.

Besides that Vivian was also on the committee of the Andrean Zonal Talent Contest, The Andrean Fair and a Trustee on various other organizations.

Now, as he looks back over the years and sees the crowd increase year by year, he knows that Our Lady of the Mount has and will protect him as he looks after her church.

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Come September!

T

he eighth day, in the beautiful month of September! It is the birth day of our dear mother Mary, celebrated by all her children down the Konkan coast with grandeur as the ‘Harvest Festival’ and also a family feast. For those of us who ardently collected flowers as children to offer to her on nine novena days, this feast is of great significance. The traditional family lunch eaten off banana leaves squatting on grass mats on the floor, the prayers that

seemed to go on and on and the sharing of ‘roce’ garnished with blessed new grains are distant, yet treasured memories! Later on in life this attachment to the Mother’s mantle has saved us from straying away. Now though separated from our roots and transported into a different culture, we have been gifted with the beautiful festival of the Mountthe nine days of novena followed by the Octave week of devotion. A great time to flock to her and be showered with graces from above!

But we are also blessed with more celebrations. In the Archdiocese of Bombay, the day is celebrated as ‘day of the girl child’ to create for her, a special place in society and accord her dignity and respect she so rightly deserved as a mother. So 8th September is a day to look forward to …….

As the sun set on the Western horizon on 8th September 2014, the church dedicated to St. Theresa in Bandra stood out like an oasis of devotion and piety in the desert of darkness.

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Vera Alvares A triple celebration had commenced within the imposing, beautiful structure of the church. The Holy Eucharist celebrated by a host of SVD priests from the parish and from the Provincial House was announced by the mellifluous notes of “Ave Maria” from the steeple of the church!

The three-fold celebration was to commemorate the Nativity of the Virgin

been nurtured by the SVD priests over the years was immensely touched by the homily of Fr. Calisto Gomes SVD whose light-hearted words carried a profound message about working selflessly for the good of all. The anecdotes he chose to deliver to reinforce his point, tugged at the heart-strings of the congregation while smiles lit up faces! The brightly illuminated church radiated joy at his words that Jesus listens when Mary’s children speak to her!

Mary, the Foundation Day of the SVD religious order and the ‘Day of the Girl Child’. As the main celebrant provincial of the SVD order, Fr. Paul Vattatara reminded the congregation that the Divine Word inspires the followers of Jesus to reach out to their needy brethren. The powerful message was most appropriate since the SVDs work among the needy in the light of the Divine Word.

More than a century earlier, prompted by the need to do this St. Arnold Janssen founded the Society of the Divine Word, a Roman Catholic missionary religious congregation, to spread the light of the Divine Word through service. And now it has grown into a huge worldwide organisation with thousands of missionaries working in decades of countries to uplift the suffering humanity. In the city of Mumbai the SVD s minister to the flock in two parishes- Sacred Heart Parish Andheri East and the parish of St. Theresa of Lesieux, Bandra West.

The congregation attending the triple celebration in the church, having

On this ‘day of the girl child’ St. Theresa’s inaugurated the Women’s Cell at this Eucharist with the symbolic lighting of the diya. It is true that India’s patriarchal traditions have spawned many harsh, unfair customs that treat females as second class citizens in society. The distinction of class and creed diminishes in the face of domestic violence, physical assaults, mental torture and harassment, rendering women helpless. The Women’s Cell would minister that healing touch to distressed women of all communities.

The choir rendered meaningful hymns so beautifully that the music lifted the celebration to newer heights. The congregation was rewarded by a short documentary showing glimpses of the yeoman’s service of the SVD missionaries to all humanity irrespective of caste, creed and class. A prayer to Mother Mary went up during the Eucharist pleading that our youth may follow in the footsteps of SVD Missionaries into the vineyards of the Lord. We hope Jesus listens while we pray to His mother!

22 September 2014

Aging And Competition

by Francis Lobo

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s you age you believe you have left the Competitive Life behind.

You studied hard to get a rank in the competitive examination. You trusted that if you worked sincerely the organization would give you an above average increment. You played politics to get a promotion. It was called “THE RAT RACE”. I could never understand why because I never saw a rat studying at all. Many of these expressions enter our vocabulary and we wonder at their significance until some enterprising researcher finds out what was behind it. It took the Supreme Court of India to question the expression “HORSE TRADING” which AAP used to describe the attempt of the BJP to purchase MLAs. “Are horses more valuable than men?” the honorable court asked.

To come back to competition.

Darwin had discovered that existence depended on survival of the fittest. So the need to be competitive carries on into old age if one is to survive. But the competition now is with oneself, with one’s own bodily functions. Each function feels that now that you are old you can no longer dictate to them what to do and go off in different directions.

The malfunctions don’t have any pattern and often compete with each other.

It is worse than the politics you experienced in the corporate world.

Science and technology has advanced so that there are treatments for every such malfunction. The pharmaceutical industry survives on this by capturing the treatment in the form of pills of different colors, shape and size.

The competitive challenge is to remember which pill to take and when.

Don’t stain yourself trying to remember what each is for — very often one pill is to counter the side-effects of another pill. Innovation has come to the rescue of seniors with boxes with compartments for each time of the day and each day of the week. This is fine

22 September 2014

until you start wondering is it Thursday or Friday?

You have been advised to drink a lot of water to flush out the toxins in your system. Unfortunately the body decides that this flushing has to happen at the dead of night. You cannot go back to sleep and make up this deficiency by sleeping late in the morning to the great irritation of your daughter.

Every movement is a challenge.

A cough affects the bowels. Everything, every action has to be acted out in slow motion — walking, eating, drinking. Like in working life there are restrictions and targets. Walk for half an hour. Be careful what you eat, how and when. Hot spicey, oily foods are taboo. Your body immediately reacts to them and sometimes to your embarrassment when you are dining with family and friends. You are a winner in

the competitive race with every activity you can go through successfully. The great thing about the “Old Age Race” is that you learn to live in the present.

NaMohas got it wrong by sending senior BJP leaders to the Old Age Home. In the days ahead as the population ages seniors will be in the majority and form a formidable vote bank.

The retirement age of 58 / 60 was set at a time when life expectancy was very low. Looking back I see that at 60 I had plenty of energy and ideas to be a nuisance to my family and friends trying to change them and run their lives, giving them unwanted advice, changing and fouling up their plans. My advice today is to change the retirement age and find ways to use the wealth of experience and knowledge of seniors as mental and physical energy will do a lot to reduce the stress related ailments of the seniors.

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Half of Chinese billionaires plans to flee their country within five years Hong Kong - Around half of China's super-rich want to move to another country within the next five years to find better education and job opportunities for their children, a preferable economic climate and greater security, as well as better health care and social services, this according to a Barclays survey that looked at more than 2,000 high net worth individuals - those with more than US$1.5 billion in total net assets.

High net worth individuals from mainland China were the most eager to move, with 47 per cent saying they planned to leave in the next five years, compared to 23 per cent of Singaporeans, 20 per cent of British respondents and 16 per cent of Hongkongers. American and Indian billionaires are the most attached to their homelands, with only 6 and 5 per cent saying they wanted to leave.

However, "The reality is that most ultra-high net worth individuals in China are probably making money in China right now," said Liam Bailey, head of residential research at London brokerage Knight Frank LLP. "So, for business reasons, they need to be relatively close. That might prevent some of them going further afield."

Reasons cited for wanting to leave include better educational and employment opportunities for children overseas (78 per cent), preferable economic climate and greater security (73 per cent), and better health care and social services (18 per cent).

Around 30 per cent of Chinese respondents said Hong Kong was their top destination, followed by Canada at 23 per cent.

(AsiaNews)

Inauguration of the Women’s Cell

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n the light of increasing cases of violence against women in society, the need to launch a group that would address these grievances, was long felt in the parish. The ‘Day of the Girl Child’ was most appropriate to make a beginning in this direction. So on 8th September during the evening Mass the Women Cell of the parish was formally inaugurated, symbolically lighting the ‘diya’ by some women leaders of the parish. As the parish priest Fr. Bernard Rodrigues confided later, with this his long cherished dream of reaching out to the needy women was fulfilled!

To translate this launch into action a meeting of women active in the parish affairs, was convened during the next week in the parish office. 17 women were present at this crucial meeting ably conducted by Everilda D’Mello. It commenced with prayer- a passage from the Bible, Luke Ch:2 was read out and reflected upon, giving a direction to the functions to be carried out by the cell. The aims and purpose were defined in detail to enlighten the members, soliciting their co-operation.

Nancy Rodrigues who had attended one of the training programmes by the Women’s Commission spoke eloquently of her experience and how it would benefit women. All women of the parish can attend these forthcoming training programmes, the list of which is available with the office-bearers of the Cell. The next programme is a workshop on ‘Fullness of Life’ on 12th October, 2014 at St. Peter’s Bandra from 4-7 PM. A Managing Committee was constituted with Everilda D’Mello as the Chairperson, Vera Alvares as the Secretary and 6 other members. They are Thelma D’Silva, Nancy Rodrigues, Judith D’Souza, Anne D’Silva, Nazia D’Cruz and Virginia Vacha- Rai. All members present pledged themselves to the service of distressed women and their families. The day for monthly meetings was fixed as the second Sunday of every month.

The Spiritual Director reminded the assembly that it was not a fight with the other sex, but a holistic healing of families. He ended the meeting with prayer.

Vera Alvares

Thanksgiving

Our prayers answered. My daughter lost her bagage on the flight and found after 7 weeks.

Thanks to Mt. Mary, St. Anthony and Divine Mercy for the favours.

—Mrs Mary Fernandes, Marol

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22 September 2014

Pope breaks taboo by marrying couples who lived 'in sin'

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single mother, people who have been married before and couples who have been living together "in sin" were married by Pope Francis in a taboo-challenging ceremony at the Vatican on Sunday.

In another signal of the openness of his papacy, Francis asked to marry 40 people from different social backgrounds who would be a realistic sample of modern couples.

Popes very rarely perform marriages -- the last one was in 2000.

Marriage "is not an easy road, it's sometimes a contentious trip, but that's life", the pope told the couples, both young and old, as their families gathered for the solemn two-hour ceremony.

"It's normal that couples fight. That always happens, but don't end the day without making peace, even a small gesture is enough," said the pontiff, who donned a red robe for the occasion rather than his usual white.

One of the couples he married was single mother Gabriella and her

Come, make the best choice of your life-Partner

partner Guido, whose previous marriage was annulled by an ecclesiastical tribunal.

The last time a pope performed a marriage was under the leadership of John Paul II in 2000, and before that in 1994.

It comes three weeks before a major synod of the Catholc Church will discuss the divisive issues of marriage, divorce and conception.

The church ban on allowing divorcees who have remarried to receive communion is one of the key topics up for debate, and resolving deep divisions over the issue inside the church is seen as a key test of Francis' leadership.

Francis has shown himself more open than his predecessors on the subject of marriage, and has spoken of more realistic attitude to social problems, raising the issue of broken marriages and abandoned women.

Last January he baptised the child of a single mother in the Sistine Chapel along with the daughter of a couple who had not been married in a church.

AFP

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22 September 2014

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The Maha Race For ‘KHURSI’ The elections in this State are here. Political parties are trying hard to keep their marriages together which have seen very dramatic turns and Uturns post Lok Sabha elections. The dominant party in the NDA has suddenly realized its vast potential in this State. Undoubtedly, the big two of NDA, the BJP and the Shiv Sena are the forces to reckon with even if they decide to contest the elections separately. Majority stake and kursi are two issues [with Sena saying that CM-ship is non-negotiable] which may end the alliance of 1989. But who knows? There is lust bothways so we wait and see.

In the absence of the late Gopinath Munde there was a vacuum of sorts in the State and the lesser mortals wanted to grab the show. It is no secret that late Munde and Gadkari could not see eye to eye. The two factions in the BJP were beginning to assert themselves but the visit of the BJP supremo – Amit Shah put things in place. He gave a clear message to the Gadkari faction that he is not the boss and the local leadership will have the final say and all will have to fall in line.

When the right hand man of the Big Boss – Narendra Modi issues a diktat, it becomes a non-negotiable verdict.

Shiv Sena lead by Uddhav Thackeray is buoyed with the success it tasted in the company of the BJP but feel that it was BJP that benefited by aligning with Sena. One can see it both ways. It is the consolidation of the Hindutwa votes [by not allowing split] that helped the NDA in a big way. More than the impressive win in the national elections, for the Shiv Sena in general and Uddhav in particular, it was the satisfaction of flooring the arch rival – his cousin Raj Thackeray. With not a single Lok Sabha seat to its credit, the MNS looked as a spent force. The man who tried to roar like the late Bal Thackeray was humbled. His followers were disillusioned so he had to make some dramatic announcement which he did by announcing that he was a CM candidate in the assembly elections.

With Uddhav also following suit, the stage was set for a grand face-off.

Suddenly, Raj remembered that no one in the Thackerary family had

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VIEWS on NEWS contested elections. Did his astrologer tell him that he has no chance which prompted him to retreat? Either way, he has lowered his esteem with the public as well as his followers. He projects himself as a tough and angry politician but that has not helped his image. He needs to be more open and should not be seen a dictator. He cannot by any chance replicate his late uncle who was actually a people’s man. He does not have the capacity to fight alone and was hoping that the BJP –Shiv Sena alliance would break up. That did not happen – thanks to a reluctant visit by the BJP chief to Matroshree; never mind even if it was in response to repeated requests.

The Congress-NCP alliance, even if it sustains, will always be based on suspicion. It is unlikely to make an impact with a slew of projects that they rushed through before the declaration of election schedule. The UPA did the same thing but the results in the April elections showed that the electorate is not swayed by such last minute manipulations. It will be humbled for sure – how badly, only time will tell. But if the Sena-BJP alliance breaks up, we may see some surprises. *****

The Delhi Darbar Whether the BJP will take the challenge and stake a claim and try to form a government in Delhi, will be known by the time this piece appears in print.

There have been different voices talking simultaneously. All agree that they are not interested in horse trading. But how on earth you will get those half a dozen MLAs that you need to form the government? Well in politics things can change overnight.

This Delhi business is a whole big mess right from the time the elections results were out with no clear majority.

The BJP, the largest lot, preferred to opt out saying they did not have the numbers and they do not have even now.

The AAP played it safe by first not wanting to take the plunge by aligning with the Congress but came out with a brilliant idea of a referendum which was by the AAP, for the AAP and of the AAP. With the response they received, AAP

by Marshall Sequeira formed the government but soon realized that it was a hot potato to handle.

They announced some sops and something extra for their supporters and drained the exchequer which was already under stress. Nothing really worked so they resorted to dharnas and stepped into opposition space.

They then suddenly decided to resign – no referendum this time mind you.

The Chief Arvind Kejrival [AK], had an eye on national politics - a Marie Antoinette type of a situation. If I cannot handle Delhi then let me try and handle the whole country of 125 crores.

With a telling loss in the national elections, AK did not know what to do.

They were jobless. A man known for his high moral standards, refused to vacate the CM’s massive abode citing unconvincing reasons. People were not amused. He then asked the LG not to dissolve the assembly which was in suspended animation. But suddenly, when the news of BJP maneuvering to try and form the government, he was rattled. Now he is moving heaven and hell including ‘sting operation’ to keep the BJP at bay.

At one of the television debates, the BJP spokesperson repeatedly enquired of the AAP and the Congress whether their MLAs are on ‘sale’ when they showed their concern about the likely horse trading.

What he did not say was whether the BJP was in the market for the ‘purchase’ and what was the price they were willing to pay. The BJP may want to take a chance and even if the government falls, they will continue to remain in ‘power’ on a care-taker basis till the elections. That would mean ‘advantage’ BJP. The unsolicited support by Sheila Dixit has upset the party but with four of the eight MLAs standing by her, things could become hot. She has taken a U-turn but in politics, “kuch bhi ho sakta hai”.

22 September 2014

Blessed Vaz may be canonized during Pope’s Sri Lanka visit Colombo: Sri Lanka may get its first Catholic saint when Pope Francis visits the island nation in January next year. There is a high chance the pontiff would canonize Blessed Joseph Vaz, an Indian missionary considered the Apostle of the Sri Lanka Church.

Addressing a media briefing at the Colombo Archbishop’s House Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith told journalists the Canonization process of Blessed Joseph Vaz was in its final stages.

Approval from the College of Cardinals would see Blessed Joseph Vaz, a Catholic missionary, who served in north and central parts of Sri Lanka primarily, being elevated to Sainthood, the prelate added.

Blessed Joseph Vaz from Goa, India, arrived in Sri Lanka during the Dutch occupation when Catholicism faced several challenges and by the time of his death in Kandy he had managed to rebuild the Catholic Church.

Blessed Joseph Vaz is known as

22 September 2014

the Apostle of Ceylon (the former name of Sri Lanka) and was beatified during the visit of Pope John Paul II to Sri Lanka in 1995, reports island.lk.

A miracle attributed to Blessed Joseph Vaz had been studied and now awaits the approval from the College of Cardinals upon which Blessed Joseph Vaz will be elevated as a Saint. Cardinal Ranjith sounded positive that the canonization would take place during the Papal visit.

The miracle attributed to Blessed Joseph Vaz has to do with a couple who are both doctors. The mother conceived twins.

However, she was strongly advised by doctors to abort one child who

was weak. However, the lady doctor chose to disregard medical advice and prayed to Blessed Joseph Vaz. Eventually, she gave birth to twins and both children are healthy, according to Cardinal Malcolm.

Two panels of Vatican doctors had examined the case and the process saw Devil’s Advocate arguing against the case as well, the Cardinal said.

Pope Francis will land at Katunayake airport on January 13, 2015. He will then travel to Colombo in a motorcade via the Old Negombo Road.

It was revealed during the media briefing that the Pope had refused to use a bullet proof vehicle as done by (Contd.. on p. 18)

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Iraqi Christian: ‘ISIS terrorist held a sword to my throat but I refused to convert’

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n Iraqi Christian woman de scribed this week how she de fied ISIS terrorists who put a sword to her throat and told her to either convert to Islam or lose her head.

With the blade at her neck, she replied that she would rather die than give up her Christian faith. But instead of decapitating her, the Islamists – many of whom she described as foreigners with long beards – robbed her of all her possessions before eventually driving her from Qaraqosh.

The woman, Khiria Al-Kas Isaac, 54, is one of a rising number of Christian refugees to escape over the border to Kurdish-controlled territory with tales of how they narrowly escaped with their lives after they refused to convert to Islam.

Weeping as she recounted her ordeal, Khiria said she and husband, Mufeed Wadee’ Tobiya, awoke on the morning of August 7 to find that Qaraqosh had been over-run by ISIS fighters.

She was told repeatedly by the militants, “who spoke different languages”, from the first day that if she did not convert to Islam she would be decapitated. When she ref- used, she and 46 women, who had also rejected such demands, were separated from their families and whipped and beaten over a 10-day period in an attempt to make them abandon their Christian faith.

Khiria said: “I answered [the terrorists] immediately, I was born Christian and if that leads me to death, I prefer to die a Christian.”

Quoting from the Gospel of St Matthew (10:33), she said: “Jesus said: ‘Whoever denies me before men, I will also deny him before my Father who is in heaven’.”

Khiria said that the women were often assembled as a group to be whipped so that they could witness how the others were suffering grievously.

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She said that none of the women capitulated under the scourging and other cruelties inflicted upon them. “All of us were crying but refused to convert,” Khiria said.

She added that when an ISIS terrorist who was flogging her across her back told her he would “hurt you more” unless she became a Muslim, she answered him: “I am an old lady [and] sick. I have not got any daughter or son that may increase the number of Muslims or follow you, what is the benefit if I will convert?”

On the 10th day all of the women were assembled together again and a terrorist “put the sword on my neck in front of all the ladies and said to me: ‘Convert or you will be killed.’”

Khiria answered: “I am happy to be a martyr.”

At that point the terrorists relented, and robbed her of all possessions, including money she had saved for a kidney operation, and drove close to

Kurdish territory where she was released on September 4 along with her husband and two other women.

The following day 14 men and women were also expelled from Qaraqosh. It is not known what has happened to the remaining Christians.

Sahar Mansour, a refugee from Mosul who interviewed Khiria in Ankawa refugee camp near Irbil, said the woman was now unable to sleep because of nightmares about her experiences.

Meanwhile, US President Barack Obama has announced said he will not hesitate to take action against Islamic State (IS) militants in Syria as well as Iraq.

In a nationally televised speech outlining his strategy against IS, he said that any group that threatened America would “find no safe haven”.

He also announced that 475 US military personnel would be sent to Iraq but said they would not have a combat role.

Courtesy: catholicherald,uk

22 September 2014

Seven Petitions In The Lord’s Prayer

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he Catholic Church cares deeply about the faith; preserves, pro motes and perpetuates the word of God. The Lord’s Prayer per excellence unfolds an astonishing treasure of rich content on God’s Kingdom, family life and analysis; of what Tertullian described “ as the resume of the Gospels”. He believed that this extraordinary prayer” was the sum and substance of all Christian prayers.”

The Pater Noster, better known as the Lord’s Prayer and by millions of Catholics as the Our Father, is the most holy of prayers central and relevant in Christian life. The short verses have been recited daily for many centuries.

Remember, there is no one word or catchphrase to sum up The Lord’s Prayer. In the Gospel of St. Matthew the apostle teaches us how to pray (Mat.6:915).

We discover that in the seemingly innocuous prayer there are seven petitions: 1. Our Father, who art in heaven 2. Hallowed be Thy name.

3. Thy kingdom come 4. Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.

5. Give us this day our daily bread.

6. Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us.

7. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. (CCC 2759).

In the doxology (omitted in the Catholic tradition) are lines which mirror the nature of the Trinity. “For Thine is the kingdom, the power and the glory for ever and ever Amen.”

The Lord’s Prayer is found in two of the Gospels, Luke11:2-4 and in Matthew 6:9-15).

This common form of prayer was said even by the Desert Fathers. The

22 September 2014

Our Father is a Christian writer and thinker-scholar, Prayer par excellence. The said, “The Our Father is a Catholic Church sees the compendium of the whole Lord’s Prayer as the “sumGospel.” The Lord’s Prayer mary of the whole gospel; the is truly a condensed or conmost perfect prayer” (CCC centrated formula having all 2761) and must be recited BY MELVYN BROWN of man’s life and history in it. verbatim.

Other Biblical scholars like In the Gospel of Luke, we are told Mathew Henry, Alexander Maclaren, that one of Jesus’ disciples went up to Adam Clarke and many more have all the Master and requested him to teach agreed on one point, the Lord’s Prayer them ‘to pray as John taught his dis- is an initiation into Christian prayer. ciples.” The Prayer in Luke’s gospel From the early Church, to the presentconcludes with, “Lead us not into temp- day Church, all catechumens are inititation.” Whereas, in Matthew’s gospel, ated into the habit of prayer. All believthe Prayer ends with, “deliver us from ers own the prayer as a strong ’vade evil.” mecum’ (a guide) for their devotion.

A Biblical scholar once said the Across the passage of two thouLord’s Prayer was a “ guideline on how sand years, many Christian and Cathoto pray.” It was his respected interpre- lic thinkers in spirituality have been tation. Christian tradition says, it is a drawn to the Our Father discovering way of communicating with God. Prayer the riches in it to help our understandis an important key-note in Christianity. ing. Every Christian home should keep And the Our Father is our legacy. a book on the Lord’s Prayer, to be read The Our Father is a divine Chris- in ones quiet moments. tian prayer. When we say the prayer, it In the Gospel of St. Mathew we is our prayer in Christ Jesus and He are told: “ But when you pray, go into prays in us. I quote a popular Italian your room and shut the door and pray scholar-writer, Antonio Gentile : “ Para- to your Father who is in secret; and phrasing Paul who said it is no longer I your Father who sees in secret will who live but Christ who lives in me reward you”. (Mat.6:6).

(Gal.2:20) the Christian can truly say : As I mentioned earlier there are it is no longer I who pray but Christ who seven invocations in the recitation. We prays in me. When we pray, we call will enrich our devotion by finding a God our Father more truly, for we are “loving experience of Mary,” in the Our God’s children from the moment when, Father. through baptism in Him, Jesus and the Spirit of Jesus are present in us.”

1. Mary, the Virgin Mother of God is the Prayer is like the internet when first born daughter of the Father. you need to reach out to someone – (Lumen Gentium,53). At the time of requesting the website to give you inthe annunciation she was the first to formation in whatever you need to know. whom the “secrets of the Trinity were Prayer puts you in touch with his anknown” (John Paul 11 Mulieris gels and saints who intercede on your Dignitatem, 3). behalf to God. The Lord’s Prayer is a direct connection to the Father the Heart 2. In Mary’s Magnificat she announces of Jesus. his holy name. (Luke 1:49).

When you rely on prayer you react courageously to your trials and 3. The angel told Mary that the kingsorrows. Prayer helps you to become a dom of Jesus would know no end. better person blessed by Jesus. Prayer (Luke.1:38). is worship.

The Our Father stands as a flag- 4. To God’s will, Mary said: let it be ship in communication with the divine. done unto me as you say (Luke1:38) Tertullian, the famous theological (Contd.. on p. 22)

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The Role of Godparents Fr. William Saunders

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he role of the godparent for bap tism is rooted in the role of the sponsor in the catechumenate, which originated in the early Church.

Recall that until the year 313, the Church was under the persecution of the Roman Empire and had to be cautious in conducting its affairs so as to prevent pagan infiltration and persecution. Also, until the Middle Ages, the Sacraments of Initiation — baptism, holy Eucharist, and confirmation — were administered at once. The role of the sponsor then was to attest to the integrity of the person, oftentimes an adult, seeking admission into the Church as well as to assist him during the catechumenate in preparing for these sacraments and in living a Christian life. For infants, these sponsors would also make the Profession of Faith in the child's name and accept the responsibility of instructing the child in the faith, especially if the parents failed in this duty. About the year 800 when infant baptism was truly the norm, these sponsors were called "patrinus," or "godfather." Traditionally, we identify the sponsor of a child for baptism as the godparent — godmother or godfather, but the technical term remains "sponsor."

According to the Code of Canon Law, "Insofar as possible, one to be baptized is to be given a sponsor who is to assist an adult in Christian initiation, or, together with the parents, to present an infant at the baptism, and who will help the baptized to lead a Christian life in harmony with baptism, and to fulfill faithfully the obligations connected with it" (No. 872). This statement clearly reflects the historical roots of the role of sponsor.

To be a sponsor, a person must be chosen by the person to be baptized, or by the parents or guardians of a child, or, in their absence, by the pastor or minister of the sacrament.

The sponsor must not only have the intention of being a sponsor but also meet proper qualifications. The spon-

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sor must have completed his sixteenth year unless the Bishop has established another age for sponsorship, or the pastor or minister judges that a just cause warrants an exception to the rule. He must be a Catholic who has received the sacraments of holy Eucharist and confirmation, and "leads a life in harmony with the faith and the role to be undertaken." Moreover, the sponsor cannot be impeded by some canonical penalty. Ideally, this sponsor at baptism should also be the sponsor for confirmation. Note that the mother and father of the child cannot serve as sponsors. Also note that these are the same requirements for confirmation sponsors. (Cf. Code of Canon Law, No. 874.1).

Strictly speaking, a person only needs one sponsor for baptism — male or female, but may have two sponsors, one male and one female. Here the Code of Canon Law wants to eliminate the practice of having numerous sponsors, as has occurred in some cultures (No. 873). Also, in the case of an emergency, such as imminent death, no sponsor is needed.

Here we should pause to clarify who qualifies as a Catholic godparent.

A Catholic who does not practice the faith by regularly attending Mass or who is in an invalid marriage disqualifies himself from being a godparent.

Moreover, if a person is Catholic but antagonistic to the faith, i.e. has the attitude "I am a Catholic but...," and would not be a good example and witness to the faith also disqualifies himself. If a person is not striving to fulfill his own obligations of baptism and confirmation, he will not fulfill the responsibilities of helping another to do so.

Parents need to find good practicing Catholics for godparents. Sadly, this task can be very difficult in today's world.

As a pastor, I am truly perturbed each time someone comes by the rectory office and wants me to sign a sponsor's certificate and attest that he is a practicing Catholic when I do not recognize him, he has not registered in the parish and he does not attend Mass faithfully. In justice, I cannot meet such a request.

Parents need to find good practicing Catholics for godparents. Sadly, this task can be very difficult in today's world. The best place is to look for relatives, even grandparents, who have a blood relationship with the godchild and have kept the faith over the years.

Good friends are also appropriate, but sometimes friendships wane, leaving the godchild without an active godparent. Godparents should be faithful indi-

22 September 2014

(Contd.. from p. 16) viduals who are ready to accept the responsibility of being a part of a godchild's life for the rest of his life.

What if someone would like to have a faithful Protestant friend as a sponsor? Technically, only Catholics can be godparents or sponsors. A Christian of another denomination, whether Orthodox or Protestant, however, may be a "Christian witness" to the baptism along with the Catholic godparent. The reason for this distinction and restriction is that the godparent not only is taking responsibility for the religious education and spiritual formation of the baptized person, but also is representing the Church, the community of faith, into which the person is being baptized. A Christian who is not Catholic, although perhaps a very holy, Christian, cannot fully attest to the beliefs of the Catholic Church. Likewise, a Catholic can only be a Christian witness for someone who is baptized into another Christian denomination. (Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, Directore pour l'application des principes et des normes sur l'oecuemenisme, March 25, 1993, AAS 85 (1993) 1039-1119; Directory for the Application of Principles and Norms on Ecumenism (Washington: USCC, 1993); Origins 23 (1993) 129-160)).

In all, godparents serve a special role in the life of the baptized person.

Therefore, each parent should choose a godparent not just because of a blood relationship or friendship; rather, a godparent should be a trustworthy witness of the faith who will help the godchild attain salvation.

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22 September 2014

Is Your Spouse Sad?

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here are chances your husband can be unhappy in relationship.

As a wife you should find out the reason of sadness as well as understand him to the core. Listed here are few of them. Sometimes it is difficult to find out if your partner is really happy in the relationship. You might go on believing that everything is going right in the relationship until one day he drops a bomb on you saying he wants out.

If you do not want to be shocked, look out for the signs that he is unhappy in the relationship. Here are some signs that he is secretly unhappy in your relationship.

Prone to emotional outbursts He might act normal and loveydovey most of the days but a few days he might be a monster that you do not recognize. He may say the ugliest of things to you or go on a rant for hours.

He will also get back to you saying he didn’t know what came over him. These kind of emotional outbursts happen when he has been unhappy for a while and have no way of telling you straight away. He simmers for a while and finally bursts out. Instead of accepting his apology and brushing off the incident, sit and talk with him to find out what’s making him unhappy.

Lots of complaints about you that he does not tell you You will either hear it from his friends, your mutual friends or his family. Sometimes he may even go to your family to complain about you. This could

happen because he is unhappy and feels that he cannot share it with you.

He may be scared that you could take it badly or turn it against him. This behavior is unacceptable in any relationship as he should be comfortable enough to discuss anything with you.

He drinks a lot If he starts drinking by himself or goes out to drink a lot with his buddies, you can be sure that something is eating him. He could be unhappy with the way your relationship is headed and for some reasons may feel tied to you.

Before he becomes an alcoholic, make an intervention and find out what’s wrong between the two of you.

He would rather go out than spend some time alone with you If he is constantly choosing to go out by himself than spend some time with you, it could mean that he is unhappy in the relationship. Being alone can bring up things that you two normally would not discuss and he may be trying to avoid it. If he is sulking and complains about going out make sure to spend time with him.

Not talking When you start seeing signs that something is off about him or he is not his normal self, try to talk to him. Sometimes it could be something else and not you, but he might feel you are not caring enough. Sometimes it could be you and he is just not comfortable telling it to your face.

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Blessed Vaz may be canonized ...

(Contd.. from p. 13) his predecessors. He will then meet the Sri Lankan bishops that afternoon and visit Temple Trees to meet President Mahinda Rajapaksa.

The next day at 8:30 am Pope Francis will say Mass at Galle Face Green. At 2:00 pm, he will be taken to the historical Madhu shrine where he will conduct a prayer service.

Pope Francis will leave Sri Lanka on Jan. 15 for Manila, the Philippines.

Sri Lanka would be the second Asian country to be visited by Pope Francis, who comes from Argentina, the other side of the globe. He will be the third Pope to visit Sri Lanka. Pope Paul VI came to the island nation in 1970 and Pope John Paul II in 1995.

Cardinal Malcolm during the media briefing revealed that he had invited Pope Francis to Sri Lanka soon after the Conclave in March 2013 which elected him Pope.

“When the Pope was elected, the cardinals had a brief period to personally wish the new Pope. So when my turn came, I told the Pope that his predecessor had not travelled to Asia and he should consider travelling to that part of the world. I requested him to come to Sri Lanka. He asked me to send an invitation and on my return home, the Bishops’ conference sent him an invitation. President Rajapaksa also invited him and last February the Pope confirmed that he would visit Sri Lanka.”

There Should Be No Place For Dowry In Modern Society

A

wedding has become a very costly affair and a mere busi ness deal among many families today. Some men even claim that they never wanted dowry but were forced to accept it by their parents. If these men had any convictions, they would not have let their parents get away with it. It is surprising to see men, who are perceived to be strong-willed, turn into spineless meat when it comes to taking a stand against their dowryseeking parents. Dowry is an illness that must be cured of, if we want our country to be a world power.

It is highly shameful that even as India has positioned itself as an emergency global superpower, practices such as dowry continue to plague our society. Many young men claim that they don’t believe in the practice of taking dowry but tolerate it on their family’s instance. How can the youth of today, so loudly demanding about the causes they believe in, allow dowry to continue even without a murmur of protest?

Even educated people indulge in this practice and many marriages have been called off as the bride’s parents have been unable to meet the exorbitant demands made by the groom’s parents, leaving so many young women in a state of emotional turmoil. Dowry is the money or gifts given to a daughter by her parents at the time of her marriage.

The boy’s family considers it as their right to make demands and a lot of

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unpleasantness is caused at the time of marriage. Sometimes people even refuse to go through with the marriage if they feel they are not getting enough money.

The girl is also very often tortured by the husband and his family members for not bringing enough dowry.

Sometimes she is even compelled to commit suicide to escape ill-treatment.

Worse still, people even resort to murder to do away with a bride who has not brought enough dowries.

Who do you blame for the practice of dowry in India? It starts in our very homes. The very set of parents that demand dowry become the victims when their own daughter’s marriage arrives. Behind every case of dowry there is also a mother-in-law or sister-in-law.

Mind set and beliefs don’t get changed easily and the only way to address them is education and awareness. Over time, these begin to take effect. It’s time we stood up and smell the stink. If we don’t take a stand today, our daughter, yes, our daughter could very well be the next victim. Think!

The Kerala government’s decision to bring a bill to curb expensive and lavish wedding ceremonies in the state is highly laudable. The girl's parents' who cannot afford to spend lump sum money is made to feel inferior. On an average, even a middle class family has to shell out fifteen to twenty lakh rupees for arranging a wedding ceremony. It is a huge sum of money for a middle class family. The situation even worsens further if the family has two girls and the father is nearing retirement age. Dowry and expensive wedding celebrations are responsible for increasing corruption besides being a social evil.

Providing your daughter with a solid education and encouraging her to pursue a career of her choice is the best dowry any parent can ever give to their daughter. Think again!!

— Jubel D'Cruz, Dombivili

22 September 2014

Inspiration!

Gifts You Deserve to Give Yourself

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s gratifying as it is to give gifts and receive them, there are some gifts you can only give yourself. Some gifts have nothing to do with sweaters or gift cards or picture frames; some have to do with your inner world, your heart and soul. Here are some gifts which you can give to yourself: Take some time to reflect on the kinds of gifts you and only you can provide for yourself

Have an open mind to life’s changes Sometimes there are things in our lives that aren’t meant to stay. Sometimes the changes we don’t want are the changes we need to grow. Growth and change may be painful sometimes, but nothing in life is as painful as staying stuck where you don’t belong. The bottom line is that you can’t reach for anything new if you’re holding onto yesterday. You may think holding on makes you strong, but often it is letting go and starting anew in the present.

A meaningful path and purpose If your life is going to mean anything, you have to live it yourself. You have to choose the path that feels right to YOU, not the one that looks right to everyone else. It’s always better to be at the bottom of the ladder you want to climb, than the top of the one you don’t. So don’t wait until you’re halfway up the wrong ladder to listen to your intuition.

Every morning, ask yourself what is

22 September 2014

really important, and then find the courage, wisdom and willpower to build your day.

The time to do what truly matters Identify what’s most important to you.

Prune nonessential commitments.

Eliminate as much as you possibly can of everything else. No wasted time, no fluff, no regrets.

The mark of a successful person is the ability to set aside the “somewhat important” things in order to accomplish the vital ones first. When you’re crystal clear about your priorities, you can painlessly arrange them in the right order and discard the activities and commitments that do not support the ones at the top of your list.

Permission to be imperfect as you grow You may not be where you want to be yet, but if you think about it, you’re no longer where you once were either.

You have good reason to believe that you can trust yourself going forward.

Not because you’ve always made the right choices, but because you survived the bad ones, and taken small steps in the right direction.

Have the right relationships Not everyone will appreciate what you do for them.

You have to figure out who’s worth your attention and who’s just taking advantage of you. If your time and energy is misspent on the wrong relationships, or on too many activities that force you to neglect your good relationships, you can end up in a tedious cycle of fleeting friendships, superficial romances that are as thrilling as they are meaningless, and a general sense of wondering why you always seem to be running in place, chasing affection.

Touch your dreams Everyone dreams, but not equally. Too many people dream only at night in the quiet of their own minds, and then awake to find it was all an illusion. Don’t be one of them. Dream by the day instead. Be one of the people who dream with their eyes wide open, and who works to make them come true.

And make sure you take actions to fulfill your dreams.

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MATRIMONIALS MUMBAI : Goan (Bardez) Roman Catholic Spinster, aged 32 years, Ht. 5’ 4”, Fair Complexion., Edn. B.A., Dip. in Financial Management, Banking Exams, Working as Senior Manager for a reputed Private Sector Bank Seeks educated and well settled Roman Catholic Goan (Bardez) Bachelor between 34-36 years. Ht. 5’ 7” and above.

Contact email : andy.franky@hotmail.com OR 9833710833 (Regd. No. 6185) MUMBAI : Mangalorean Roman Catholic Spinster, aged 35 years, Ht. 5’ 5”, Wt. 65 kgs, Wheatish Complexion, Edn. B.Com., working as a Sr. Customer Service Associate. Contact email : springwater1948@gmail.com OR 9869612479 (Regd. No. 6184) MUMBAI : East Indian Roman Catholic Spinster, aged 44 years, Ht. 5’ 1”, Wt. 62 kgs, Wheatish Complexion, Edn. B.Com., Giving Tuition. Contact : 9221758206 (Regd. No. 6181) MUMBAI : Goan Roman Catholic Spinster, aged 32 years, Ht. 5’ 91/2”, Wt. 70 kgs, Fair Complexion, Edn. MBS + Executive Course, working as a Office Assistant. Contact email : mellita_dmello_82@ yahoo.co.in OR 022-2416 2210 (Regd. No. 6180) MUMBAI : Mangalorean Roman Catholic Spinster, aged 27 years, Ht. 5’, Wt. 48 kgs, Wheatish Complexion, Edn. BE (IT), working as a Sr. Software Engr., Seeks a suitable well qualified match. Contact email : western2462@rediffmail.com OR 8652024267 (Regd. No. 6173) MUMBAI : Goan Roman Catholic Spinster, aged 31 years, Ht. 5’ 4”, Wt. 55 kgs, Wheatish Complexion, Edn. B.Com., working as a Team Leader.

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MUMBAI : Mangalorean Roman Catholic Spinster, aged 25 years, Ht. 5’, Wt. 46 kgs, Wheatish Complexion, smart, Edn. LLB., Lawyer by profession. Seeks a educated, well settled bachelor from decent family background.

Contact email : asm2983@gmail.com / vid_suaris@yahoo.co.in OR 9820838128 (Regd. No. 6156) MUMBAI : Maharashtrian Portestant Spinster, aged 29 years, Ht. 5’ 2”, Wt. 56 kgs, Fair Complexion, Good looking, Edn. B.A., LLB., CS, Legal Advisor by profession. Seeks a suitable match.

Contact email : dilipphansalkar@gmail.com OR 9820434141 / 9930056602. (Regd. No. 6155) DUBAI : Mangalorean Roman Catholic Spinster, aged 26 years, Ht. 5’ 5”, Wt. 58 kgs, Fair Complexion, goodlooking and smart, Edn. MBA., working as a Manager in Bank. Seeks a graduate Bombay based Mangalorean bachelor, working in Dubai. Having a good status. Contact email : vick5256@gmail.com OR 00971 55 5902447 (Regd. No. 6150) MUMBAI : Goan Roman Catholic Spinster, aged 31 years, Ht. 5’ 3”, Wt. 55 kgs, Wheatish Complexion, Edn. BMS., Working as Insurance Associate. Contact email : ladsouza2013@gmail.com OR 8655220756 (Regd. No. 6149) MUMBAI : Mangalorean Roman Catholic Spinster, aged 24 years, Ht. 5’ 1”, Fair Complexion, Edn. B.Com., Dip. in Mktg., working as a Customer Support Executive. Contact email : mflavy@yahoo.com OR 9769226745 / 9819736100 (Regd. No. 6148) MUMBAI : Mangalorean Roman Catholic Spinster, aged 27 years, Ht. 5’ 5”, Wheatish Complexion, Edn. M.S. in Human Resources, working for an international school, seeks a well educated Mangalorean bachelor from a decent family background. Contact email : marriageproposal986 @gmail.com OR 9892656367 (Regd.

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(Contd.. from p. 15) 5. Mary is known as the Mother of the Eucharist.(J.Gerson, Tractatus super Magnificat). She was the first to give her body and thus gave us the Body of Christ.

6. Mary is full of grace (Luke.1:28) and Jesus, her Son will save us from our sins (Matt.1;21).

7. Mary faced many problems in her life. She emerges in absolute victory.

(The Apocalypse, and the woman clothed with the sun).

There is much to be said about mental prayer and vocal prayer at this point. Both prayers are given to us by God. You do not need to read a book, it happens, anywhere. When God says, in His own special way, “ I’m listening” the soul understands. And the Lord’s Prayer has made many feel His presence. Mental and Vocal Prayer can create a union with God without you having to choose a method.

Saint Paul had written, “ We do not know how to pray as we ought” (Rom.8:26). The highest degree in the Our Father is reached when the soul in agony animi cruciatus (affliction of spirit) moves towards God crying out, “God be merciful to me a sinner.”(Luke 18:914) God’s mercy will always be there.

Perseverence in the faithful taking of the Sacraments of Eucharist and Pen-

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Zimbabwe leader alleges India built Surat with their diamonds Harare: Zimbabwe Vice President Joice Mujuru appeared to ignite a diplomatic storm Sunday after telling a church gathering that India had “built a whole town” from smuggled Marange diamonds.

Surat, a city in the western Indian state of Gujarat, is considered the world’s biggest diamond cutting and polishing center.

The flow of cheap diamonds from Marange diamonds proved critical for Surat last year after processors in that city were forced to stop purchasing rough diamonds from big miners because of 20 percent increase in prices, reports newzimbabwe.com.

Mujuru however said the Indians had prospered while Zimbabwe had nothing to show for its diamonds.

This is the first time a senior Zimbabwe office has backed claims by the opposition that proceeds from the controversial Marange diamonds were deliberately diverted from the national

coffers.

When the diamonds find was announced, then Mines Minister Obert Mpofu claimed that Zimbabwe would no longer need to beg western countries for financial support.

The country would earn about US$2 billion in additional revenues from the gems, the minister claimed.

Instead, the diamonds have built a whole city in India, Mujuru, with a touch of melodrama, told a St John Apostolic Church of the Whole World’s annual gathering Saturday.

Her comments came after the state-run Sunday Mail newspaper reported that Indian, Israeli and Lebanese syndicates working out of Mozambique were spiriting away quality diamonds from Marange for the black market in collusion with the diamond companies, while the miners submitted for international auctions poor standard gems.

ance with the Our Father, both in mind and on our lips, has an efficacy for comfort in His love.

St. Augustine says, “ Run through all the words of the holy prayers (in Scripture), and I don’t think that you will find anything in them that is not contained and included in the Lord’s Prayer.” (CCC 2762).

The Lord’s Prayer explained (in Latin) Oratio Dominica, means that the prayer to God is given to us by Jesus Christ. “The only Son gives us the word the Father gave him” (CCC2701). This is a traditional statement to express a unique prayer.

We are told by St. Teresa, ‘Reciting the Our Father, we must not forget to be close to the one who taught it to us.” (Teresa of Jesus. The Way of perfection). Affective prayer is in the Lord’s Prayer – it can be a natural progression from effective meditation. This prayer alone can comfort you in a peaceful waiting in His presence. Let us learn from the Church of the vast treasures of spiritual theology and of the Our Father in prayer.

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September2014 2014 22 September

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